Conventionally, reclining type articles of furniture (i.e., chairs, sofas, loveseats, and the like) require a mechanism to bias a leg rest assembly in the extended and stowed positions. The mechanisms provided by the prior art include a large number of moving parts that tends to increase the manufacturing time and costs associated with the furniture.
Moreover, because these parts move to extend and stow the leg rest assembly the parts require alignment relative to one another to ensure proper operation. Additionally, the large number of parts adds weight to the furniture thereby making the furniture difficult to move and transport. Additionally, the occupant of the seat must overcome the biasing force to begin extending the leg rest assembly. Since one of the purposes of providing the leg rest assembly is to increase user comfort, overcoming a large biasing force tends to detract from the user's enjoyment of the furniture.
Once the occupant does overcome the biasing force of the mechanism, though, the large number of moving parts tends to generate noise as the user extends (or stows) the assembly. Also, as the assembly nears its fully extended (or retracted) position, the prior art mechanisms suddenly accelerate (or jerk) to the fully extended position. Again, these disadvantages of the prior art mechanisms detract from the occupant's comfort and enjoyment of the furniture.
Finally, the large number of parts also exposes the furniture to an increased risk of mechanical failure, particularly of those parts subject to cyclic stress (i.e., fatigue). Thus, a need exists to simplify and improve the prior art leg rest mechanisms.